Tragedy struck New York City when two teenagers lost their lives, and four others were injured in a devastating crash involving an alleged joyrider in Washington Heights on Monday, July 3.
The incident, which occurred around 6:45 am, claimed the lives of a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, both occupants of the alleged stolen vehicle.
According to police, the vehicle involved was a stolen Hyundai Elantra driven by a 16-year-old joyrider, and carrying four other youngsters. Witnesses from the local Washington Heights neighborhood reported that the driver was recklessly racing through the streets, disregarding red lights leading up to the collision. Disturbing images captured the aftermath of the crash, revealing an overturned car and debris scattered across the road, with one vehicle having been thrown onto the sidewalk.
The collision took place at the intersection of Audubon Avenue and 179th Street when the stolen Hyundai, traveling northbound, collided with a westbound Jeep. The impact caused both vehicles to skid into two cars parked nearby. Authorities believe that the Hyundai had been stolen at the end of the previous month.
Eyewitness Spiro Theologis described the scene, saying, “I saw them run that light through my side view mirror, and then they kept running the lights without even slowing down. All I thought to myself is these kids are going to get themselves killed or kill someone. The next thing I know, I heard a big crash.”
Emergency services had to extricate the victims from the wreckage by shearing off the car’s roof.
Two teenagers in the Hyundai were pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Columbia Hospital later in the day. Meanwhile, two other passengers, aged 16 and 15, were rushed to Harlem Hospital in critical condition. The 16-year-old driver of the stolen vehicle also received medical attention, although his injuries were reported to be less severe than those of the other passengers. In addition, the 53-year-old driver of the Jeep was transported to Harlem Hospital for treatment.
NYPD investigators are working to determine what led to the crash.
